tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post6042820010092981436..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #80: The Element of CrimeMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-42029054073976264622014-05-04T20:55:09.961-07:002014-05-04T20:55:09.961-07:00I loved the element of crime though the plot is al...I loved the element of crime though the plot is almost incomprehension.<br />Dancer in the dark is all a killer movie. you know whats coming and you cant stop and you get all the let downs and depression to song and dance. what a movie wow. I have seen it several times and it makes me sick every time I watch it. <br />ps breaking the waves is technically one of his best movies but I was unmoved.foreign film fannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-43494470816669915702013-10-09T17:43:06.013-07:002013-10-09T17:43:06.013-07:00I've come around a bit on dream sequences; I t...I've come around a bit on dream sequences; I think <em>Hannibal</em> (the show) uses them very well, for instance. (<em>The Sopranos</em>, not as much). And while I haven't seen <em>Mirror</em>, <em>Andrei Rublev</em> is one of my all-time favorites. So I doubt I'd bash it unless the dream sequences were particularly ham-handed.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-41776515567641204172013-10-09T17:04:22.045-07:002013-10-09T17:04:22.045-07:00If you're generally not a fan of dream sequenc...If you're generally not a fan of dream sequences, maybe it's a good thing that Criterion doesn't have Tarkovsky's <i>Mirror</i> - it would break my heart to hear you bash that.KinchStalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13554821394715134265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-58677597942922002602010-12-27T09:39:29.402-08:002010-12-27T09:39:29.402-08:00Anonymous: "if you accept what seems prima fa...Anonymous: "if you accept what seems prima facie obvious, that most filmmakers get worse as their limitations are removed" <br /><br />Yes, I've heard that line countless times - okay, I've even used it myself once or twice (usually attached to "blah blah George Lucas blah blah")! OTOH, I often worry that there's a bit of Leftist snobbery to the underlying Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-33822921368864816022010-12-27T00:21:22.633-08:002010-12-27T00:21:22.633-08:00Yeah, I think one of the things about Von Trier is...Yeah, I think one of the things about Von Trier is it's impossible to tell when he's being sincere or just saying things to shock and self-promote. I'm all for shocking & self-promotion in public life, but not as much in film, and it sounds like <em>The Idiots</em> is on the wrong side of that line.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-91717070036143196862010-12-26T23:37:06.532-08:002010-12-26T23:37:06.532-08:00Here's the frustrating thing about Lars von Tr...Here's the frustrating thing about Lars von Trier...<br /><br />So, you've got this Dogme 95 thing. Now, on the surface, the idea of reflexively reacting against phoniness in Hollywood movies makes sense -- I'll even allow for the hokier arty cliche that there is some objective truth that can be portrayed in film. The rules themselves seem fairly well-designed to replicate the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-34282299136362645332010-12-03T11:23:45.862-08:002010-12-03T11:23:45.862-08:00I presume the "hot pink" comment was in ...I presume the "hot pink" comment was in addition to mine - and as I don't know von Trier personally, I can just go off what <b><i>he</i></b> claims. If he likes pranking the World Media by claiming he's a Porn King - hey, whatever! Better Porn than more Dogme 95 "pure cinema" nonsense, if you ask me - because what makes films wonderful is that they're a big old Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-38350387138006972952010-12-03T06:55:21.238-08:002010-12-03T06:55:21.238-08:00Timothy Liebe: not only that, but he also reused t...Timothy Liebe: not only that, but he also reused the prison set made for Dancer in the Dark in one of the pornos he produced, after painting it hot pink.<br /><br />Matthew: Don't put too much stock in what you hear about Trier through the media, since he's notorious for making things up in interviews etc. He's known as a prankster in Denmark.<br /><br />If you want to see him do Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-27117522008495089902010-11-28T21:23:54.521-08:002010-11-28T21:23:54.521-08:00MD: "I don't know much about Kubrick or O...MD: "I don't know much about Kubrick or Ozu's behavior, but I suspect they never made a film out of spite..."<br /><br />Matthew - what would you call THE SHINING, then? Besides the First Horror Film With No Horror In It? That movie made me lose whatever respect I had left for Kubrick after the admittedly beautifully-composed but pointless BARRY LYNDON.<br /><br />I like von Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-36105732750515683492010-08-09T13:20:11.147-07:002010-08-09T13:20:11.147-07:00I thought this film was suffocating, in a way that...I thought this film was suffocating, in a way that makes one high before you fade to black...If the thought of drowning excites you, then this film is for you- I enjoyed it very much.Wotanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06475962668120527352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-85902429126529101562008-01-17T17:46:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:46:00.000-08:00Jose,Haven't seen Gone Baby Gone yet, but I'm look...Jose,<BR/><BR/>Haven't seen <EM>Gone Baby Gone</EM> yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I've always thought Affleck was smarter than people gave him credit for.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-63541108890808993672008-01-17T17:45:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:45:00.000-08:00Tiako,Yeah, he seemed pretty confrontational in th...Tiako,<BR/><BR/>Yeah, he seemed pretty confrontational in the interview. I don't know much about Kubrick or Ozu's behavior, but I suspect they never made a film out of spite...Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-80013981205003719372008-01-17T17:42:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:42:00.000-08:00Jack,Great. One guy recommends The Five Obstructi...Jack,<BR/><BR/>Great. One guy recommends <EM>The Five Obstructions</EM> more than <EM>Breaking the Waves</EM>. One guy recommends <EM>Breaking the Waves</EM> more than <EM>The Five Obstructions</EM>. Am I going to have to watch both of these now?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1010558635335948642008-01-17T17:41:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:41:00.000-08:00Chris,Thanks! I also would never have seen this w...Chris,<BR/><BR/>Thanks! I also would never have seen this were it not on Criterion (and that's why I haven't seen <EM>Breaking the Waves</EM>. One of these days...Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-57083021700353764012008-01-17T17:40:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:40:00.000-08:00Steven,I haven't seen Reflections in a Golden Eye....Steven,<BR/><BR/>I haven't seen <EM>Reflections in a Golden Eye</EM>. If it has that color pallete, thanks for the warning!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-34884891951458254842008-01-17T17:39:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:39:00.000-08:00Scott,I like your hypothetical poles of cinema. B...Scott,<BR/><BR/>I like your hypothetical poles of cinema. But who's in the middle, half-Kevin Smith, half-Lars Von Trier?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-78954455029175031662008-01-17T17:38:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:38:00.000-08:00Shawn,I'm not sure what you mean; Dancer in the Da...Shawn,<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure what you mean; <EM>Dancer in the Dark</EM> wasn't a Dogme 95 movie, obviously. If I make an absurd rule ("I will film only with handmade shoebox cameras, one frame at a time!") and then use an Arriflex for my next movie, does that make it a bold breakaway from my earlier style?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-41171607579313075122008-01-17T17:34:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:34:00.000-08:00Mr. Chan,I want to see The Five Obstructions, but ...Mr. Chan,<BR/><BR/>I want to see <EM>The Five Obstructions</EM>, but the others I imagine would sit sadly in their Netflix envelopes for a month or two, until I sent them back. That could change if I like <EM>The Five Obstructions</EM>.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-69698904946557428772008-01-17T17:33:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:33:00.000-08:00Mark,Yeah, Von Trier's obvious talent in producing...Mark,<BR/><BR/>Yeah, Von Trier's obvious talent in producing this movie I disliked made me want to force him to direct a noir or a horror film or something, with a producer who has final cut. There aren't many directors I wish had less of a free hand, but he's one of them.<BR/><BR/>Like you, I liked Variety Lights a hell of a lot, as I hope my essay makes clear.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-8562728663502375052008-01-17T17:29:00.000-08:002008-01-17T17:29:00.000-08:00dj project,Is your composition available online so...dj project,<BR/><BR/>Is your composition available online somewhere? It sounds interesting.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-6848051804289543682008-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:002008-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:00After seeing your comments, I checked and, sure en...After seeing your comments, I checked and, sure enough, I had got my story wrong. After making Dancer in the Dark, he was criticized for making an anti-American movie without ever going to America. This "inspired" him to make the trilogy. Source: http://www.timeout.com/film/news/553/<BR/><BR/>The best quote is this: "Von Trier has said the anger 'Dancer in the Dark' generated among US critics hasTiakohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860304359645598868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-30804814549345280562008-01-03T23:53:00.000-08:002008-01-03T23:53:00.000-08:00Lars is the definition of a mad genius and this is...Lars is the definition of a mad genius and this is the most accesible entry in his Europa trilogy.<BR/>As far as I knew, Dogville and Manderlay were both part of a trilogy planned long before that someone accused Lars of anti-Americanism. So it's not fair to blame Manderlay on spite.<BR/>Sadly with his depression we won't get that concluding chapter anytime soon.<BR/>And I completely agree with Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Socialeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01423835555933819338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-36792958878356196062007-12-25T20:32:00.000-08:002007-12-25T20:32:00.000-08:00Lars von Trier has struck me as a somewhat unpleas...Lars von Trier has struck me as a somewhat unpleasant person. One example is that after he made Dogville, somebody asked him whether he felt a little unfair criticizing America so harshly when he has never actually been there. So, Lars von Trier made Manderlay pretty much out of spite.<BR/><BR/>Naturally, this has no effect on how good his work is. I get the impression that Stanley Kubrick, for Tiakohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860304359645598868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-54106958492581046842007-12-23T06:48:00.000-08:002007-12-23T06:48:00.000-08:00Great insight into this film, which I haven't seen...Great insight into this film, which I haven't seen but am interested in, I doubt I will actively seek this one out.<BR/><BR/>I would also like to commend <I>Breaking the Waves</I> and (to a lesser extent) <I>The Five Obstructions</I>.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02122653554370471508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-59967547764594311752007-12-19T07:50:00.000-08:002007-12-19T07:50:00.000-08:00Matt - Great review. This film is one of the reas...Matt - Great review. This film is one of the reasons I love Criterion. Challenging and almost threatening in its visual provocations, this is the type of film that, were it not on Criterion, I probably wouldn't have checked out.<BR/><BR/>Still, that doesn't mean I liked it (I didn't), but after reading your review (although I'd say "review" really doesn't capture the great service you do to Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13600990166210022027noreply@blogger.com